The Last One: The Idea of Blog Assignments

Six weeks of watch on group mates’ and the teacher’s blogs. What are others thinking about the topic I have just written? What do I think about their ideas? What will be the next assignment about? Much of reading and much of writing -- this is the way to improve any language. And I am glad that I had this opportunity for my English.

The teacher asks if I believe that producing much text has made me better writer (www.engae1.blogspot.com). It might be too brave to say but I will dare -- I do think I became a better writer. It is much easier for me to write an assignment in English now than six weeks ago. It does not require looking to the dictionary as often as I used to. Moreover, thoughts come to me in English and I have no need to translate everything from my own language. My presence in a foreign country and use of English everywhere might be also a reason for this. Still, I believe that these blog assignments also helped me a lot.

The teacher also asks if I believe that having an audience has made me better writer (www.engae1.blogspot.com). I am not sure about this. I don’t think this reason helped to improve the language. But it definitely helped to improve basic writing skills. When you are writing only for a teacher to read you might not think about following points: what can one think about a kind of thoughts; can I insult somebody by writing a sentence; should I be more liberal with my way of thinking? When you answer these questions the text becomes more or less acceptable to everybody. And I find it very important to know the way of expressing your ideas without affronting anybody.

In addition, when you know there is going to be a number of people reading your text, you are trying to make it more interesting and present your ideas as clearly as you can. Afterwards, you are reading other students’ works, providing some of them with your comments, and waiting for somebody to react to your peace of writing. And after analyzing received comments you will write another text trying to avoid the same mistakes and trying to emphasize things that were enjoyable. This circle has been running for six weeks and suddenly it came to an end. I believe that some students will continue writing every week, not necessarily online, just because they got used to it.

Some advice:

• It might be better to provide two themes every week; when there is one subject you can talk about, sometimes you are not able to think of what to write. I understand it is very difficult to think of that many themes. Maybe students themselves could have some offers?
• I would recommend another day for deadline -- any day of a week but Sunday. It depends on students, of course, but most of them do tasks in the very last minute. And then half of a weekend disappears.

All in all, I liked writing and reading blog assignments. I think this way of improving students’ writing should be kept and, what is more, should be spread.